In recent years China has become a powerhouse in the sports arena. Both
Chinese men and women have qualified for World Cup soccer numerous times in
the recent decade. For the first time there is a distinguished Chinese
basketball player in the NBA. The Houston Rockets used first round draft
pick on Yao Ming, a 7’6” native Chinese. These recent super star athletes
were able to achieve a good measure of success outside of the more
traditional Chinese dominated sports, such as baseball or gymnastics.
Chinese people have usually been cast as second fiddle in the sports arena,
mainly due to the lack of the right physique. In light of the recent
discovery of Chinese super stars athletes, that assumption is slowly being
put to rest. When we look at the average height of the Chinese people, it
is true that generations ago the Chinese people were generally shorter
compared to most of the European peoples. Today the Chinese physique is
comparable to all other Western cultures. It is my belief that in the near
future, there will be more and more Chinese super star athletes entering
into the Western arena, not as a second fiddle but as the marquee player of
their respective sports. With the Chinese gaining a foothold on the sports
arena, it is a possibility that the Chinese people as a whole will slowly
move away from their more introverted character to a more assertive and
extroverted personality.
[posted for Jon by CH]
